World of Glass
by jetflight girl
Summary: The world is made of glass: so easy to shatter, but hard to destroy entirely. The Chosen One's story.
1. Disappointment's True Force

Night had fallen over Klamath, and the bars were being pushed to the limit of their alcohol supplies. For a night, the people had a good reason - and an excuse - to simply sit back and party. It was a rare event that both the "Golden Gecko" and "Buckner's" bars were operating together, just as it was rare that pretty much all of Klamath was at a party together.

Maida Buckner was torn. From one side, she had more work this night than pretty much ever before and too many people that she didn't want to see were present, and that made her want to scowl even deeper than usual. On the other hand, business was also better than ever before and for once, her none-too-bright brother Torr was all help and no hinderance in his duty of bringing foodstuffs and (mostly) drinks from the back rooms as well as dragging or carrying out passed out or troublesome guests - that almost made her smile. Sulik was also here, released from his debt by the stranger, and he seemed to enjoy the attention he got when he spoke of the battles with rats and geckos alongside his fellow tribal.

Whiskey Bob was blissful. He had brought out and sold all of his stash, mostly to the Buckners but some also to the Golden Gecko (albeit in secret, as Sajag didn't want to admit buying from his old enemy). He was richer than he had been in a while, and was celebrating that with his own alcohol while scratching his beard, trying to make sense of the world around him through the thick, alcohol-induced mists.

Sulik and his audience were so engrossed in his stories that almost nobody noticed as the dark-haired and tan stranger quietly slipped out of the door. Tala felt she had had enough of hero-worshippers, children and adults alike, for today; she was also more drunken than she cared to admit, as she never did handle alcohol too well. Her tribe seldom had any alcohol, and even then it was mostly spirits used as medicine.

Tala staggered a bit and leaned against the red brick wall of Buckner's bar with a sigh, rubbing her forehead and eyes with her knuckles. Klamath had far more reasons for celebration than she did, even if Klamath's victories were all hers. But the purpose of her coming to Klamath was unfulfilled. Vic was not here, and had not been here for a while. No one here knew anything about the GECK, nor about Vault 13. The only further lead she had was knowledge that Vic often traded in a place called "Den".

She needed a walk, Tala decided and stuffed her fingerless-gloved hands deep into the pockets of her new pants, more or less matching her one-sleeved leather jacket. The night was still warm, as was fitting to early August, but not hot enough to make the brunette tribal uncomfortable. There was no way Tala was changing back into the ancient blue vault suit, no matter how revered and important it may be to her tribe.

After a bit of aimless wandering and slight sobering, Tala decided to look up Jenny, who had claimed to know Vic and talk to her some more. Finding Big Nose Sally's bathhouse took her longer than necessary due to some drunken misdirections, but eventually, she reached the right building. Peeking in from the window next to the door, Tala saw no sign of the older woman and guessed she was at the party at Golden Gecko. The only people sitting around the table at the front room were the blonde that Tala recognized as Jenny and a brunette woman with her back turned towards the door. It was surprising that none of the drunken trappers or traders were here, but Tala wasn't questioning her luck.

With a quiet squeak, the front door opened and both women almost reflexively took a more inviting pose while sitting. The black haired girl looked somewhat similar to Tala herself, she noticed, and seemed like a tribal, as well. But she was of little interest to Tala, who focused on Jenny. The beautiful blonde looked less tired today than a few days ago, the acclaimed hero of Klamath noted.

Tala suddenly felt small and dumbfounded as she tried to come up with a way to start the conversation so as to not give it a double meaning. She didn't really know how long she was standing there at the door until Jenny arched her eyebrow with a light smile and asked:

"Can we help you with anything?"

"Uhh, yeah, actually," Tala finally said. 'Nice going, idiot,' she chided herself mentally. "I wanted to talk to you, actually."

The other "bath attendant", seeing Tala's gaze firmly locked on Jenny, smiled and muttered "We're all grown-ups here you know."

Jenny's smile widened slightly, but The Chosen One barely registered the other one. "Talk about what?" the blonde asked.

"Vic. Vic the trader. You said you know him, right?" Tala replied, getting over her shyness which she couldn't really explain.

"Yeah, I know him. But we already went over it. I don't know where he is," she shrugged.

"Yeah, I know," the tribal nodded. "I'd like to hear everything you know about him."

"Services cost, you know," the other "attendant" inserted.

'Sticking up for one another? Good,' Tala thought before shrugging and pulling out her money. "I am not without funds, you know."

Jenny raised her hand. "Put your money away for now. A little conversation doesn't cost, though if you plan to keep me for the whole night..." she trailed off, but without any suggestive smile that Tala had been half-expecting to see.

"Right," Tala nodded. "Well, I... Do you mind going for a walk? I'd like to discuss this in private," she asked, then added to the other girl, "No offense, by the way."

Jenny shrugged, took her jacket and followed Tala outside. The two walked in silence for a while, the almost-sober Chosen One leading them away from the so-called central square, around which both bars were and which had a fair share of people sitting outside as well. Probably also walking across whoever's crops were growing there.

"So... Vic..." Tala finally started.

"Before we continue," Jenny interrupted, "Tell me why you're looking for him. He... He's not in trouble, is he?"

"Not as far as I know," the brunette shook her head. "No, I believe he has information that require."

"About the Vault... what was it again?"

"Vault 13."

"Right," the blonde nodded and pushed her hair back behind her ears.

"Yes," Tala mirrored the nod, then looked around. They were at the edge of the small town and closer to the forest-covered canyon steps. "I need the GECK - that stands for the Garden of Eden Creation Kit, by the way - to save my village from starvation. It's a long story, all in all, though."

Jenny nodded thoughtfully. "Well... Vic is a trader, as you know. I haven't really asked him about his travels more precisely, but I know that he often goes north and west to trade with tribes, and southeast to the Den, which is not a pretty place. He also mentioned New Reno, in conjunction with having to take a leave from there over a misunderstanding," Jenny smiled as if over some inside joke. Tala had a feeling she knew what he had meant by 'misunderstanding' and dreaded the possibility that this "Vic" person might be a reckless crook with a talent of collecting enemies.

"Anyway," Jenny continued, barely noticing as Klamath was left behind and they entered the dark woods. "He dealt in all kinds of stuff. Most of it was useless or broken down junk as far as I saw, but apparently, some were genuinely working things, too. I think he mentioned having a good deal in Den, about selling a set of radio equipment to someone. That was the last time he came to me before leaving. I hope he's fine, though. He... nevermind," she smiled with a hint of melancholy.

Tala nodded, digesting the information. She sat down by a large boulder that blocked the view from Klamath and nodded. "I hope he is fine, too... For your sake and my villages."

Jenny sat as well and they were quiet for a while, both deep in thought. Eventually, Tala fished out her water flask - of the Holy 13 - uncorked it and took a small sip. "Want some? My own brew," she offered to the blonde, who shrugged and accepted it. "Careful, it's hard stuff," Tala added.

Jenny took a sip and looked at the brunette questioningly. There was no taste of alcohol and no effects that she could sense - in fact, it tasted like water with a bit of raspberry jam. But the tribal merely smiled, although it was barely visible in the darkness. "Just let it settle for a while. The original taste is terribly, terribly bitter, so I added some flavouring. But... back to Vic. Did he ever mention the sources where he got his things from?"

"No," the blonde shook her head so that her long curly hair came loose again. This time, she didn't care. "Well, some things like gecko pelts and such he traded for his 'antee-queties' as he called them... but as for the shiny stuff itself, I have no idea."

Tala nodded again. "Makes sense. He often traded us things for gecko pelts, herbal concotions and other such. The last time he came, he brought this canteen," she said, taking another sip and handing it to Jenny, who followed suit. "It's from the Vault 13. Legend holds that our tribe is descendant of the people of Vault 13, and I'm sure they'd have the GECK for us... or at least information about where we can find one."

"How did you come to know of that, anyway? I only know that there were vaults in which people survived the war and some that survived outside... But I don't even know where my roots trace back to," Jenny shrugged.

"The old disks spoke of the item, the Garden of Eden Creation Kit," Tala said, her eyes taking a dreamy look. "It is said it can bring life to the wastelands. The disks were passed to us along with this," she continued, tapping on her ancient PIPBoy device. "Brought by the Vault Dweller, who once saved the world from a great evil... Though I do not know the exact tale of this evil and the struggle with it."

"Wow... And how did you end up searching for the GECK alone?"

"I am the Chosen One of Arroyo - that's my tribe's home. I do not REALLY know why, but I was the one chosen to enter the Temple of Trials. It's a colossal building built inside a mountain, filled with dangerous traps, locked doors and mutatant creatures. It was a struggle for every single step, really. Avoiding scorpion tails while trying to kill them was bad enough, but there were also swarms of gigantic ants. Eventually, I emerged pretty much unscathed, though, so I had proven myself as the Chosen One," Tala said with a dreamy smile as the drink from the flask was getting to her. She then snorted. "Of course, as soon as I turned out to be the One, everybody suddenly needed my help. My cousin's missing dog, lost somewhere beyond a whole bunch of geckos. Hakunin's garden with the killer plants. Hakunin is the village shaman, by the way. And so on... But... Here I am, sitting with you and no Vic in sight..." she sighed.

"Your story certainly sounds more interesting than mine," Jenny said, her words slightly slurred from being unused to the herbal drug's effects. "Me? Nothing more than a whore in a two-bit backwater hellhole," she said bitterly.

Tala took another sip and passed it to the blonde while staring at her face. "You're pretty, though..." she reached out and brushed the blonde locks from Jenny's face. "Why do you stay?"

The "bath attendant" stared back into the tan face of the tribal woman. 'How old is she, anyway?' Jenny thought, but then shrugged. "I don't know. I gotta make a living somehow... I'm not a trapper and there aren't many ways to support myself."

"But you could leave! Come with me and see the world, or settle down if we find a place you like. You... you could take your friends, the other girls, as well, and we'd all set out. Or... or I could..." Tala ranted, wildly and emotionally from the drug, when Jenny finally put her hand over the brunette's mouth.

"Hush. Listen to yourself, you're being unrealistic... I don't know WHAT you've got in here, but it's... making you say stuff," she spoke. The tension escaped from Tala and she collapsed against Jenny as if exhausted. Everything was silent for a long while, with only a few night sounds breaking the monotony.

Eventually, when Jenny thought the Chosen One had fallen asleep finally, the brunette spoke. "Jenny?" She turned her dark eyes upwards and looked into the other woman's blue eyes.

"Hmm?"

"Stay with me tonight?" Tala said in a demi-pleading voice, reaching a hand upwards to caress Jenny's cheek. There was no more to say for the night. 


	2. Across the Highlands

Waking up in the middle of the forest, stark naked and in a bedroll was not something Jenny was particularly used to. The same applied to waking up next to someone else, also stark naked and sharing her bedroll. All in all, it left a good deal of room for disorientation.

Jenny stared in confusion at the mass of dark hair next to her, and the naked body curled tightly against her, as the events of the last night eluded her (as an after-effect of the drug, albeit she didn't know that). In fact, she had troubles remembering her own name and the blonde sat up with startle.

After a second that seemed like eternity to her, she blurted out "Jenny!" and shook her head. The previous night was coming back to her now - discussing Vic, discussing life, Tala and her tender caresses... Jenny shuddered for a moment as if shaking off the feeling of unease that came from the blackout after waking up, and smiled at the memory of Tala. Jenny was no stranger to carnal pleasures, of course - but her clientele, save a very few, cared for nothing but their own pleasure. Vic was the only exception to this that Jenny could think of off the top of her head... and he was mostly just good intentions.

Tala had been no expert, either, but eager and passionate. Passionate about her, Jenny, not just looking out for herself. Not something that happened often with her, the blonde thought as she contentedly reburied her face in the shoulder of the stronger woman and laid to wait Tala's waking. And for a moment, she considered the tribal's words from last night. "Come with me." Perhaps it would be worth it? Perhaps she should go, trust her fate in the hands of this stranger? Perhaps she would find Vic with her, or perhaps the dark stranger had spoken truth when asking Jenny to love her while they were entwined in passion?

But the moment passed and she released her grip on Tala's thigh that she only now noticed she had taken. The girl had been high last night, stoned out of her mind. And Jenny was nothing but a woman for sale, not someone to love or particularly care for. Love at first sight - that was not her.

Jenny barely noticed as she drifted back to sleep.

The brunette tribal had much the same feeling as Jenny did when she woke up. She didn't remember how she got to where she was, nor why was she cuddled up with a pretty blonde, but she was used to it. She knew that the memories would return soon, and also knew that these blackouts were the reason she used her weedwater only in safe situations. So, by logical conclusion, she was safe.

The logical conclusion, of course, conflicted with the approach of muffled footsteps. Freeing her right hand from the bedroll without disturbing the blonde next to her was not too difficult, although she did stir a little as Tala reached for the gun next to her. Luckily, the 10 millimetre Colt had narrowly escaped from being covered by Tala's jacket, obviously discarded in passion.

The gun felt natural in Tala's hand - she knew how to wield one, she discovered, just as the steps came around the boulder and Tala aimed her gun at the approaching figure. The scary-looking, green-faced and tattooed figure with a large bone in his nose didn't even flinch.

"Grampy Bone told we and I to find you here," he exclaimed. Tala lowered her weapon and sighed. Of course. Klamath, Tala, Sulik, Jenny. And Vic. "Grampy Bone also tells us you both be awakening now," Sulik added with a nod.

Tala sighed and rubbed her eyes as Jenny stirred next to her. The memories flooded back to the brunette - among them her making a fool of herself by declaring her undying love to a... lady of the evening she had only met a few hours ago. Undying love that, naturally, didn't exist. There was attraction, certainly. Doubly so while under influence (albeit the blonde looked quite lovely even in the morning light, Tala had to admit), but that's all it was - a physical attraction, desire born out of being deprived of intimate contact for quite some time now.

Tala shook herself from her thoughts and pulled the blanket off herself while sitting up, not caring one whit about the show she was giving to Sulik, who showed no intentions of leaving. Grumpily, she started reassembling her clothing that was strewn about on the ground and on the boulder while Jenny looked on with some admiration and Sulik with an entirely unreadable expression.

Tala was half-way dressed when Jenny sat up as well - modestly covering herself with the blanket, the brunette noticed with a bit of amusement - and looked around.

"Hey, Sulik, go make yourself useful in the meanwhile and get us some water, will you?" Tala turned to the other tribal, who nodded, muttered something about spirits and left.

"Good morning," Jenny finally said, smiling at Tala as she took her own jacket and fished out a small pack and a lighter. The blonde still kept the blanket around her, which Tala found odd, but did not question. "Want one?" Jenny asked, offering the Chosen One a cigarette.

"Yeah, sure, thanks," Tala replied, accepting the cigarette and the light without really knowing why. She didn't smoke - or hadn't been smoking up until now, anyway. But she set that aside in her mind as well and tried to hide a cough from the alien substance entering her lungs. She looked up and their eyes locked. Tala had decided to be angry, or at least cold, with Jenny - albeit the rational part of her said there was no one else to blame for last night and, in fact, nothing to blame for, anyway - but the blonde's smile was too bright and too genuine and Tala couldn't help but smile back.

"About last night..." Jenny began and looked down.

Tala nodded. She had been expecting it. "Yeah, I did keep you for the whole night, didn't I?" she said with a half-smile and reached for her money, but Jenny's hand stopped her.

"Don't," she said. "I... I didn't work last night. I... I enjoyed it and... Thanks," she smiled a disarming smile again while taking Tala's hand in hers.

Tala looked back and saw only sincerity in Jenny's eyes. She had a feeling that had she meant what she said last night, she could repeat the request and Jenny would give in and come with her. Without really thinking, Tala found herself this close to blurting it out again - "Come with me." Three simple words, but words she didn't mean. But having already opened her mouth, Tala opted for a "You should get dressed before you catch cold. Besides, I have to leave for Den soon," she spoke, adding her own winsome smile.

Jenny sighed and nodded. She dressed quickly and by the time Sulik returned with a flask of water, Tala had packed her bedroll and the two women were leaning against the large boulder, side by side. "We and I think it's far enough into the day to get going. There are slavers at Den, and Grampy Bone says we might find sis there with you!"

"Right you are," Tala nodded after taking a few sips of water before passing the canteen on to Jenny. The tribal pushed herself off the boulder and her flung backpack over her shoulder. Jenny followed suit with a sigh; a part of her dreaded going back to Klamath and wanted to stay at the woods, by the boulder, as if in a dream - but reality won out and she followed the two tribal warriors, staring at the ground.

Klamath itself was relatively dead as almost everyone seemed to be asleep or hung over. Crossing the central square to get to the Buckner's House felt like walking over a battle field, as more than one person had simply fallen asleep or passed out in the middle of the street. In front of the Buckner's House, Jenny and Tala stopped while Sulik entered the house.

"So..." Tala began. Her moment of doubt had passed and she was determined to say goodbye here. For time being, at any rate.

"Yeah... See you around?" Jenny asked.

Tala nodded. "Yeah. When I happen to come back to Klamath, I'll see you around." Maybe it even wasn't a lie. On an impulse, she stepped closer to the blonde and kissed her (followed by a catcall and a whistle from two still drunk trappers), before stepping back.

"Right... see you," Jenny said, nodding to Tala and watching as the door closed after her. With a sigh, she headed for the Bath House.

Inside the Buckner's building was relatively quiet, too. Only Maida was around, counting money from last night with a big smile that she immediately replaced with a well-practiced scowl when Tala and Sulik entered.

"We and I be out of here," Sulik announced. "There be slavers at Den, and Grampy Bone tells us to let the bad blood out to play with them."

Maida's eyes widened and she gulped before collecting herself. The reputation of the slavers preceeded them also in Klamath, and the barkeeper knew well that one did not just march up to the slavers and demand the release of a captive. The only way that was possible was with a good deal of money or a big army, neither which these two tribals had, as far as Maida knew.

But the stranger seemed cool-headed and even-tempered and would hopefully hold Sulik back, so Maida didn't add her own warnings and pleas into it. Besides - she was supposed to be angry with Sulik and even downright hate him.

Tala quickly bought some essential supplies from Maida and stuffed them into her increasingly heavy pack. She wanted to be gone from Klamath before the partiers of yesterday woke up and possibly forced her to endure more speeches and annoying goodbyes.

Disappearing was as easy as Tala predicted it would be - the few that were out and about barely even noticed as the two tribal warriors left the trapper community. For the time being, at least.

The road to Den was uneventful. The landscape was much the same as around Arroyo, if slightly less mountainous. There was no sign of any human habitation visible during the entire journey and that gave Tala a sense of unease that she could not explain. Though the constantly hallucinating (either that, or possessed) warrior was annoying at times, Tala was grateful for his presence. She liked being alone every once in a while, but him, demi-stranger though as he was, was reassuring, a solid point to keep an eye on and not feel so lost in the strange wastelands.

They swapped stories on the road, Tala speaking of the legends and stories of Arroyo, Sulik mostly about his sister and his journey from the Great Salt Water all the way to Klamath. But often, they spoke of nothing at all. During the evenings, Tala just sat and stared at the fire, absentmindedly playing with the wolf paw amulet hanging around her neck, thinking of the times in Arroyo and friends and family left behind.

But eventually, the road ended and the rather unimpressive town stood before them. It seemed little different from Klamath from the distance, except that it was bigger. Not the kind of dark and gloomy fortress with burning human bodies still alive impaled on stakes around the gates, as Tala had seen it in the most colourful fantasies. Even as they reached closer, Tala remained unimpressed. Certainly, it looked like a dirty and mean town - a good place to own a gun - but aside from a few try-hard teenagers, there didn't seem anything overly dangerous. Several people, filthy and dressed in rags, were milling about, wandering aimlessly around the two tribals without noticing them, mumbling some sort of gibberish.

"We and I wonder if these people are possessed?" Sulik asked, walking with his hand resting on the hilt of his combat knife, just in case.

"I don't think so," Tala shook her head. "Drugs, I'd think. Of the chemical, city-produced variety."

"Come check out Becky's!" a child's voice called out towards them. "Best prices, best chances!" The house in front of which the two children - a dirty-looking pair of boys - were standing in front of one of the less rotten buildings that looked as if it was receiving maintenance every once in a while. But what really caught Tala's attention were the glowing red letters next to the door, reading "Becky's".

"So, this place has electricity," she mumbled and headed towards the door. The children next to it were eyeing her eagerly, but Tala stuffed her hands in her pockets and stared at both meanly, causing the kids to gulp and neglect any malicious intent.

The inside of "Becky's" turned out to be a bar and a casino, albeit there weren't many clients at the noon hour. Inside was another sign marking Becky's casino bar, this one lit up as well. The guards in scrap-metal armours eyed both tribals warily as they entered, but didn't move an inch as they looked around.

The barkeeper was a pretty and young blonde woman that made Tala think of Jenny for a moment, albeit the resemblance did not go beyond the colour scheme. The tribal could feel all eyes on her as she walked casually to the bar and sat on a stool, dropping her backpack next to it.

"Hey, welcome to my bar. Anything I can get you?"

"What's on tap?" Tala asked, nodding for Sulik to come and have a seat as well.

"Nuka-cola and water. Of alcohol, beer and whiskey - pure Dyer brand!" the blonde replied with a well-practiced smile.

"Dyer?"

"Oh, that's my family name. Rebecca Dyer. We've been in this business for a while already."

Tala nodded and checked her PipBoy. 12:44 pm, enough time to take a look around in the town and thus too early for alcohol. "I'll have two nuka-colas," she nodded again. "Too early for alcohol," she smiled.

Rebecca fetched two blue bottles and Tala paid up. Sulik didn't have any money as it was and quite frankly, Tala didn't particularly trust him in monetary matters, despite him having travelled more than her.

But that was neither here nor now. She opened the bottle and took a sip before turning back to Rebecca. "Does the name 'Vic' mean anything to you?"

The barkeep frowned. "Depends. If you mean the trader, Vic, then yes it does."

"That's the one," Tala nodded eagerly, her interest perking. "Do you also happen to know where he's at?"

"Yeah. He ran into some trouble with the slavers and Metzger has him locked up," she explained. "Something about him selling malfunctioning equipment to the slavers. Not a smart thing to do with a man like Metzger in charge."

"Metzger?"

"Yeah. He's the leader of the Slaver's Guild, at least here in Den. He... is not a very nice man, as you can probably guess," Rebecca shrugged. "Albeit I do not turn his men away. Money is money, and banning the Slavers in Den would be foolish."

Tala nodded, processing the information as Sulik spoke up. "We and I had our sis taken by Slavers. You... seen her, perhaps?"

Rebecca blinked, her eyes darting back and forth between the two, vastly different as they were. "Ehh... I don't remember. Is she like you?"

"She be our sis," Sulik nodded. "Many were taken by slavers. We and I will find sis," he continued, now seemingly speaking more to the spirits around him than to Becky, who was looking at Tala with a slightly bewildered expression. The brunette merely shrugged.

"Any place here to trade at?" Tala asked after a short pause interrupted only by Sulik's mumbling.

"Yeah. Tubby's store is just across the street and Flick's is further down the street. Actually... that reminds me," Becky spoke, looking at the weathered protective leather jackets and the weapons that the tribals sported. "I'd have an offer if you cared to hear."

"Oh? What's that?" Tala asked. Sulik had slipped deeper into conversations with the spirits.

"There's a man who owes me 200. His name's Fred and... Well, I'm sure he HAS the money... but he just avoids me and any of my security. If you could retrieve it for me, I'd make it worth your while."

"Alright... I'll keep an eye out for him. What does he look like?"

"Last I saw him, dressed in rags. I'd try the derelict houses. He's rather tall, dark-haired. Probably less dirty and more healthy than most of the addicts, too. And not armed to teeth like the gangers here."

"Alright. I'll keep an eye out. No promises, though."

"That's all I could ask for," Rebecca nodded, then looked up as the door opened again and a group of four people entered the bar. She politely excused herself and went to take the orders of the newcomers and Tala was left to her thoughts and rapidly emptying bottle of nuka-cola.

So Vic was in trouble, much as Jenny had feared. Tala hoped it wasn't TOO deep a trouble, as the trader was the only link she had to the GECK and Vault 13. She tapped her fingers on her backpack, in which was, among other things, a radio confiscated from Vic's house in Klamath. "I think he mentioned having a good deal in Den, about selling a set of radio equipment to someone," Jenny had told her back in Klamath.

"Good thing I kept it," Tala muttered as she finished her drink and got up. "Let's go, Sulik. Today should be an interesting day..." 


	3. The Sin Traders

Den was not a pleasant place, nor did it look, sound or feel like a pleasant place. The wasted addicts, both male and female, littered the streets and the derelict homes, of which some were newly-erected, some which seemed like leftovers from the War. Children, dirty and wild, moved about, looking for things to do or ways to make some money for the next meal. Gang members gathered here and there, bored and looking for trouble, mostly.

Heading for the Slaver's Guild building, Tala noticed another bar-like building with electricity, called "The Hole", and she found herself wondering again about where did they get their power from. It was obvious that Den had no unified electricity system - in a town as dysfunctional as this, that would've been utterly impossible.

But in front of them, the Slaver's Guild building stood. It was a relatively unimpressive, one-storey building made of red bricks, with several guards standing in front of it, each of them sporting an identical tattoo on their faces.

"This way," Tala said quietly as she took Sulik by the arm and guided him pass the Slaver's Guild and towards another building that looked like another bar or something of the kind.

"But the evil ones are there. We should be doing de killing, now!" Sulik protested, luckily not loud enough for the guards to hear.

"All in due time, Sulik, all in due time. No point in charging straight at the slavers and simply be shot dead. No, let's sit down and I'll go scout the place out before we take any action."

"Grampy Bone agrees. Says you've got wit, you're gonna need it."

"Really? Anything he says about this place?"

"Well, the spirits are sometimes hard to understand, but... Hey, Grampy Bone say another bone spirit here. Says they need help."

"Right," Tala nodded, then noticed the sign stating "Mom's Diner" and turned that way. "Why don't you wait for me here, hmm? Have a meal while I take a look around," she spoke, pushing Sulik inside before he could protest.

But the man grinned instead and nodded. "We and I be here. Grampy Bone says you need to go alone for now."

Tala nodded and turned around after handing Sulik some money. She was still kind of sceptical about the possibility that there was a spirit that spoke to Sulik inside the huge bone jammed into his nose, and that it wasn't simply Sulik's deeply-buried sanity that spoke up. Regardless, she approached the Slaver's Guild door, feeling the wary stares of the guards. Her gun was hidden under the one-sleeved jacket, but the knife in her boot and the brass knuckles on her belt were clearly visible - best to appear armed, but not TOO dangerous.

"Ey there, now, welcome to the Guild!" one of the slavers said with far too much enthusiasm as soon as Tala entered the building. He was leaning on a new and undented metal table and cleaning his gun. He looked like he can take care of himself in a fight, but otherwise, he was... normal. Average, even, save for the slaver tattoo on his face. Not a bloodthirsty monster with filed teeth that Tala had expected the slavers to be. And that was probably the scariest part of him.

"I'm here to see Metzger. Is he available?"

"He's plenty available, hot stuff," the slaver grinned, as did most others in the room (but one also frowned, as Tala noticed). "Go on in, 's the door right behind me," he pointed with his thumb.

She nodded and stepped forward. She felt like punching the leering slavers in the face, but figured that would not have been a good idea. So she opened the next door in silence and stepped forth, to an almost equally spartan room with only a single table, a working fridge and a couple of chairs.

And with a large, bald man with a mean look that could only be Metzger. "What the fuck do you want, eh? This is the Slaver's Guild, not some fucking whorehouse!" he spoke with a sneer. All in all, this scarred, tattooed and evil-looking man with a shotgun leaning on his chair fit with Tala's image of a slaver much better than the overly enthusiastic gun-cleaner or the young, intelligent-looking blonde man who frowned at the inappropriate joke of his companions.

"I'm here regarding one of your prisoners," Tala said, coolly and business-like. "More precisely, Vic the trader."

"Yeah? What about him?" Metzger said while measuring Tala from head to toe.

"Why are you keeping him here?"

The slavemaster snorted. "The little fuck came to me and told me he's got a radio for me that I could use to pick up better transmissions. I bought it, and it was broken. So I'm keeping him here till he gets the fucking radio fixed!" he explained to Tala's breasts, where his gaze was firmly fixed.

"Can I see him?" the Chosen One said, not letting the gaze bother her.

"What the fuck for?" Metzger asked, raising his gaze back to her face, but then shrugged and waved his hand dismissively. "Fuck it. Just don't keep him too long, I want him to get my radio fixed." With that, he turned his attention back to the papers before him that he and two of his men had been discussing.

One of the guards nodded towards a door in the first room and Tala headed towards it. It was the door guarded by the young blonde man, who looked at her questioningly. "Yes?"

"About Vic..." Tala began, and the man nodded.

"He's one of Metzger's personal prisoners. Sold a bad radio to him, and now he's been locked up till he can fix it," he explained, and each word made him look stranger in Tala's eyes. He did not speak the rough and uncouth jargon that most of the slavers and gangers and such seemed to speak around here; rather, he was articulate and seemed almost cultured in his speech... Yet he was a slaver.

"The door's locked," Tala nodded towards it. "Metzger said I can talk to Vic. Could you open it?"

"Sure!" he said and proceeded to unlock the door. "Didn't know you wanted to see him, thought you were just curious or something."

"Thanks," Tala nodded and stepped inside.

The Chosen One wasn't entirely sure just WHAT she had been expecting. Probably a handsome and charismatic young man that looked shifty and charming at the same time. An adventurer type, a swashbuckler who waltzed through life getting into and out of trouble, perhaps. But her image of Vic had NOT been that of a balding, overweight man in his late forties or early fifties that looked more like a barkeeper or a cook rather than a man who makes a living, wandering from tribes to towns and selling things.

"Look, would you tell him I can't fix the damn radio without proper parts!" he said irritatedly, then looked up and saw Tala. "You... You're not a slaver. Who are you?" he asked with both eyebrows raised.

"My name is Tala," she said, closing the door behind her. "I will get you out of here, in return for information."

"Sure, sure! If you could get me out of this damn mess, I'd tell you whatever you need!" Vic nodded eagerly, getting up from behind his workbench. "But Metzger said he isn't letting me anywhere until I have his radio fixed, and I just don't have the parts!"

Tala dug into her backpack and after some rearranging of items, fished out the radio she had taken from Vic's house in Klamath. "Can you use parts of this radio I found?"

The man grabbed the radio and looked at it in the light of the workbench lamp. "Yes! My radio! This is exactly what I need!" he said enthusiastically, then looked at Tala questioningly. "How exaclty did you happen to become the owner of my radio, anyway?" he asked, but then shook his head. "Nevermind. Whatever you took will be yours to keep if this gets me out of this mess. Not that I could probably stop you, anyway," he said, looking at the weapons and the gloves that the tribal warrior wore. "I... I'll have it repaired by tomorrow. Come back then and talk to Metzger... hopefully, he'll be more willing to let me go once he has his radio..."

"Alright," Tala nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't screw up and get killed, I still need the information from you," she smiled and turned to leave. Once outside, she nodded to the blonde slaver again. "Well, if Metzger asks, tell him that Vic now has the parts he needs to fix the radio. He claimed he'll be done by tomorrow, so I hope Metzger is willing to sell Vic to me then," she explained.

"Alright," the man nodded. "I'll let him know if he comes by. See you tomorrow then, I suppose?"

"Yeah," the Chosen one said. "See you tomorrow."

The outside air seemed much lighter and she breathed deeply in and out once out of the red brick building. Although most of these men did not look like some sort of psychotic murderers, they were still slavers and that made Tala feel uneasy.

She now had a day to spend before she had reason to go back to Metzger. She took her time walking back to Mom's Diner, half-way fearing that Sulik had gotten into trouble again and was relieved to find that this was not the case. Instead, he was sitting in a table with a melancholic-looking blonde woman and gestured for Tala to come over.

"Grampy Bone say this place is full of bad people," he said. "But we and I made friends in Den," he continued, gesturing at the woman and a miserable looking man sitting drunkenly in the corner. "Karl there told us he is from a place called "Modoc" and that his land was taken over by evil spirits! Grampy Bone says we might run across these spirits yet. And this is Stacy. Sad spirit, that. We and I try to cheer her up."

"Riiight..." Tala drew out. "I think we should go and check out the stores, now, see if they have anything worthwhile."

"We be here," Sulik simply shrugged and got up. The two tribals went pass the graveyard again and towards the stores.

"Hey, psst! Come on over here for a moment," a voice called out to them quietly from behind a corner. Tala stopped and looked towards the voice. The caller was a short, average looking and freckled redhead, probably no more than 20 (if even that) in a metal armour that had seen better days. "I have a proposal for you, if you'd care to hear it."

Tala smirked and walked forward. "Oh really?"

"Yeah really," the redhead nodded.

"No way! What is it now?" she asked with some amusement.

The redhead looked around. "I was asked by my boss, Lara, to get your attention. She'd have a job offer for you if you're interested?"

"I'll speak for myself," a new voice added and another woman in a scrap-metal armour stepped out. She was a brunette like Tala, but taller and lankier, though altogether not unpleasing for the eye, the tribal noted. She held herself with more dignity and an aura of presence than the redhead; on her hip was strapped a pistol. "I am Lara, and I'm the leader of this gang. And no, we two are not ALL the gang."

"Right, nice to meet you," Tala said insincerely. "What's this about, then?" she asked, glancing at the redhead who had stepped aside and was now leaning on her spear.

"I noticed you have or had dealings with Metzger. I'd offer you a job if you're interested."

"Alright... I'll bite," Tala nodded while Sulik glanced suspiciously between all three women. "What's the job and what's the pay?"

"You saw that church by the graveyard? That's Tyler's turf. His gang is guarding something of Metzger's there, and if you find out WHAT it is he is guarding, I will pay you two hundred in cash."

"Hmm... Metzger's, eh? Alright, I'll see what I can do. Sulik, stay here again, for attention's sake," Tala said and looked around. The church had been impossible to miss, of course, seeing as it was merely the biggest building in Den.

She left the two women behind and walked towards the church, evaluating the building as she walked. There were no real entrances other than the front door, which was guarded by two men. There were also windows, but trying to get in from there would've caused more mess than it was worth. So Tala just conjured her business-look and strided purposefully towards the double doors.

"Yeah?" the guard on the right, a brown-haired and nimble-looking man in metal armour - scrap metal like that of the women, but scrubbed clean to make it look better - asked.

"Tyler?" Tala half-asked, half-stated, then continued without letting the other man to get a word in, "Metzger sent me."

"What the fuck for?" Tyler asked, emphasizing his words with his hands. "It's not like his shit is going anywhere!"

"Well, he wants to be SURE," the tribal responded, forcefully accenting the last word.

That cowed the man. "Fuck it," he shrugged. "Go on in and take a look," he continued, pushing the door open for her.

Tala entered the church with an emotionless visage and looked around. The guards inside, Tyler's gang as she presumed, snapped to attention, but she ignored them and her gaze turned to the stacks of crates stashed in the various corners of the church. She walked closer to the crates and looked inside a few, then nodded and turned to leave.

"Happy now?" Tyler asked.

Tala nodded. "Yeah. By all accounts, Metzger will be, too," she replied, then added quieter, "or less grumpy at any rate."

"How come you're working for Metzger, anyway? You're not a slaver," Tyler asked warily. "I thought his personal errand boys... err, and girls... would be Slavers, too."

'Uh-oh,' went through Tala's head. "Well, you don't know Metzger's workings, by the looks of it," she said with a nod. "I'm not a member of the Guild."

"Yeah, I noticed. How come?" the man asked again, this time warier. The other thugs got up or sitting inside the church, too and the huge black man - the other door guard - slipped his hand on his pistol.

"Test period. Ever heard of it? Errands for Metzger first, you know. I do well, and it's time for joining," she said, almost maintaining her cool face. "Before you get any funny ideas, remember I'm still one of Metzger's employees."

Tyler stared at her for a moment, but this was a game Tala was good at - she stared right back at him, unflinching, until he gulped, nodded and turned his gaze away. "Of course, of course. Was just wondering. Ehh, well, the stuff is here... Put in a good word for me with the boss and all that..." he said, borderline stammering.

Tala didn't bother hiding her smug smile as she returned the nod slowly and walked out. Tyler shut the double doors behind her and went back to his position. The black guard, however, stepped a little further and looked after her as she headed towards the Guild to not blow her cover.

Eventually, however, the line of sight between the two was cut, albeit Tala had to pass before the Guild itself and make a round trip from behind the building. The filthy and, in several instances, bruised slaves at the overcrowded pen behind the Guild building itself made Tala's hands ball into fists as she fought the urge to charge into the building, guns blazing. For one, there was no way she could've taken them all on alone and even if she could, she could not risk Vic being killed. He was her only link to the GECK, after all.

After out of Tyler's gang's sight, it wasn't too difficult to maneuver back to Lara's gang, where both the women and Sulik were waiting for her already. "Raw chemicals in large crates," she reported instead of greeting.

Lara nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense, given Metzger's business practices. But... as promised, here's your money," she said, fishing out her bag and counted 200 before handing it to Tala.

"Pleasure doing business," Tala smiled. That money would most likely come in handy when it was time to bail Vic out.

"Actually, Lara..." the redhead spoke, nodding at Tala as Lara looked at her.

Lara shrugged, then nodded. The whole scene was somewhat suspicious for Tala, but they didn't exactly seem to be preparing for a fight.

"You interested in another job?" Lara asked, causing Tala to relax.

"Such as?"

"Easy money. Just go to Metzger and ask if the offer to take over the guarding is still on," the gang leader explained. "50 bucks."

"And..." Tala drew out "You're not doing this yourself because ... ?"

"If Tyler sees any of ours near Metzger, he'll be sure to anticipate an attack or even attack himself," Lara commented dryly. "But you are an outsider and, as it seems, already considered one of Metzger's minions, so it'd work."

"Well, alright," she shrugged, and started her way back to the Slaver's Guild. The errand girl business was simple. Metzger wasn't half as pissed to see her as she had thought, what with his mood considerably improved by the prospect of finally getting his radio fixed. And if Tyler or any of his gang members were watching, they were watching something else.

Lara and the redhead looked expectantly as Tala approached and the tribal nodded in confirmation. "As he said, the offer is ready for whoever. So yes, you can fight Tyler so long as his stuff is guarded."

"Good," Lara grinned, rubbing her hands together, but the grin turned to frown quickly.

Tala sighed and raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess - there's something else now? You want me to... Fight deathclaws so you could get better weapons for your gang, like my grandfather did?"

"Eh?" Lara raised an eyebrow. "Oh, nevermind. But if you could take a look around and try and find a weakness in their gang, I'd pay you for the trouble. Again, not a chance in hell any of us will get close enough."

Tala nodded thoughtfully and began working on a plan... 


	4. Hidden Crimes

Lara was utterly restless. She sat down for a while and twiddled thumbs, then got up and paced a while, sat down again and got up to pound the punching bag a bit. The rest of her small gang were somewhat restless, too, but to her it was a personal matter. Everything had to be perfect - their arrival, them killing Tyler's gang and her killing Tyler himself. She just hoped he would be sober enough to know what's going on and sober enough to feel fear.

The assistance of the stranger tribal had been expensive, but Lara did not regret a single dollar. That stranger, Tala, was something of a divine gift - her help enabled Lara to gain revenge AND a profitable business deal. Would help, the gang leader corrected herself. She didn't think Tala would rat their plan out to Tyler - there was little to gain and besides, Tala had more than enough chances to do so already. As for Metzger, he genuinely didn't care about gang rivalries, so long as they didn't interfere with his own business.

The stranger had taken a leave with her utterly weird (not to mention ugly) companion to "Do some shopping and extorting," as she had put it. What exactly the tribal had in mind, Lara didn't know.

By the time Tala and Sulik returned to Lara's gang's house, it was already getting dark. Their packs, as Lara critically eyed, had doubled in size and tripled in weight, or so it seemed. "Well, welcome back," she said dryly. "Either you did a lot of short and profitable deals or robbed someone," she said conversationally, nodding at the bags.

Tala returned a smile with no humour in it. "There were some good deals, but we didn't rob anyone. Just dealt some justice to child molesters."

Lara nodded, not surprised. "Flick got what he deserved," she said simply. The reputation of the borderline-psychopathic gun merchant was well known. Paying orphaned kids to steal and advertise was okay by Den standards - molesting and raping pre-puberty children was not, as vicious as the place was. Most Den citizens didn't do much, though, because Flick's connections enabled him access to guns that couldn't be rivalled north of Reno, or so it was said.

"He won't be missed, that's for sure," the redheaded gang member nodded. "I hope someone will step in his stead and offer guns at less ridiculous prices, though."

Tala nodded grimly as Lara wandered off, her mind returning to the oncoming fight. "Grampy Bone told we and I to do de hurting. Little Man Flick took his time to die," Sulik nodded and sat down to examine his new MP-9 submachine gun, as his companion examined her new shotgun.

"Nice hole-puncher," the redhead commented, sitting next to Tala, who smiled and nodded.

"That it is. Much easier for going up against another gang with those toys," the tribal spoke. "What's your name, anyway? It's annoying to think of you only as "that cute redhead"," she continued, slightly smiling and looking at the younger woman from the corner of her eye. Tala hadn't said it just as a random flirt or an empty compliment - the redhead WAS cute. She wasn't a classic beauty, by far - the natural light red and somewhat messy hair and freckles did not make for beauty-magazine material, as seen in those few that had survived from the ancient times. But there was a certain charm in her, a certain something that Tala couldn't exactly point out.

"Aidan," the younger woman said, looking away with a slight blush. "My mother said it means 'fire', after my hair," she continued, lifting a strand of hair to illustrate the point.

"Aidan..." Tala repeated. "I like it. Mine means 'wolf'," she explained, holding up the wolf paw amulet hanging around her neck. "My mother foresaw a great journey in my future and called upon the wolf spirits to protect me when she gave birth to me. For that, she made this amulet, as well."

"Spirits, hmm?" Aidan said with a hint of skepticism. "So have the... wolf spirits... protected you then?"

Tala smiled, having expected skepticism from a city-dweller. "Eleven winters ago... BEFORE the whole area started going to hell in a handbasket, as the old saying goes, I was wandering around in the woods. You know how it is with children at the age of eleven," she smiled, but noticed Aidan wincing instead. "Anyway... I figured myself grown-up enough and wandered farther than ever before, and of course, got lost in the neighbouring canyon when it got dark. The wolves were out that night, a deaf radscorpion would've heard them. Needless to say, I got scared and climbed a tree to be out of their reach. I drifted off to sleep at one point, slipped before I could stop it, fell off the tree and was knocked unconcsious. In the morning, when I woke up, there were five grey wolves sitting around me, three of them licking their wounds. And around them, at least 7 dead rats, one dead molerat and two dead radscorpions," the tribal spoke, shuddering at the memory. "They patiently watched as I got up, then one of them led me back towards home, while others walked behind and around me as the honour guard of a chieftain, before leaving suddenly when I was in sight of my village," she finished her story and smiled at Aidan. "And no, I don't expect you to believe it. Feel free to write it off as a drug-induced hallucination of some tribal, if you so desire."

Aidan looked at Tala with a pondering look, but then shrugged. "Who knows. Lots of strange things around, these days. Besides - it's not like the civ... city folk don't do drugs," she nodded towards the window of Lara's hideout, which opened to the street and showed several wasted drug-addicts. "Sometimes I hate this place..." she said quietly, more to herself.

"Sometimes?" Tala raised an eyebrow, looking out the window as well.

The redhead snorted. "Alright, make it almost always. Awfully few non-repulsive people around here and not much to do, unless you're a fucking Jet addict," she sneered. "But hey, I look at the bright side of things - I won't have to worry about getting old in Den," she continued with much sarcasm and looked at Tala.

The tribal stared out of the window for a while and then shrugged. "You know what I'm asking now, right?"

Aidan snorted again and nodded. "Got nowhere to go, really. Don't know the way. Besides - it's not ALL bad," she said, nodding in Lara's direction. "Might be few, but there are people that watch your back here. And I've grown up here. Besides - what's is there to do elsewhere? All I'd meet is tougher opposition."

Tala shrugged with a smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Me, I'm operating on a time schedule and will return home as soon as possible. In the meanwhile, helping out you guys and Mom and Flick... although Flick himself would disagree about Sulik helping him... Anyway, it's all just a pass-time. Some money-making, in case I need to bribe or buy things along the way. That, and most of it doesn't take a piece off me. Well, except maybe the whole Tyler gang issue, but it's not like I'm going to battle for the first time or anything. And I don't plan to stick to the front of the fight. It's not my fight."

"Sure enough," Aidan nodded. "Lover, not a fighter, huh?"

"I didn't say that. Pragmatist, first and foremost. I don't expect you lot to stick your asses into the fire for me, do I?"

"Point taken," the redhead shrugged.

"That's not to say I'm more of a warrior than a lover, though. I can and do fight and standing victorious on the battlefield is a lovely feeling, but I much rather prefer spending the night between my lover's arms. Well, arms or..."

"I get it, I get it!" Aidan interrupted, raising her hand and looking away, cursing herself for blushing so easily as the dark-haired stranger chuckled at her discomfort.

"No need to look away," Tala teased further. "You're just as lovely as you blush," she said. Naturally, that made the redhead blush even more and she punched Tala's arm lightly. 

"Ahem," said a voice from behind them. Tala looked up to see Lara standing above them with a frown. "If you're done trying to get into my lackies' pants, we should talk some tactics and get going soon," she nodded towards the windows, which showed a considerably darkened Den.

"'Lackey'?" Aidan asked with an indignant scoff.

"Well, yes, at this point. Would you rather that I remember how often you stayed with me and Jonny, to the point where you became something of an adoptive little sister? Of course," she added quickly before Aidan could comment, "If I did that, I'd have to start a fight with the stranger here for hitting on to my little sister," she finished with a completely straight face, though her eyes were smiling.

"Err... Lackey will do just fine," Aidan commented meekly.

Lara smiled. "Good. Now, listen up..." And she began to explain her plan.

By the time they were ready to move out, it was a little past midnight. Most of the milling junkies had blacked out somewhere, but some were still around. The gangers, too, had mostly disappeared from the streets, having gathered to whereever they usually gathered, and even Metzger's hive was dark and quiet mostly. All in all, there were few witnesses as Lara, her gang and the two tribals moved out of their hideout and towards the old church. Tala was still unsure whether she should use her shotgun or not, since she had never had the chance to practice shooting with it and in real battle, inexperience could be extremely dangerous.

So, just in case, Tala loosened her pistol in the holster and set her spear on her back a bit better, sacrificing comfort for ease of access. The latter was the weapon she felt herself the most comfortable with, but if the enemy had guns, the spear-wielder had to have the element of surprise or a skin of steel. She doubted she had either of them in this particular battle.

Sulik, for one, seemed more comfortable with his submachine gun, having used such before. But he, too, kept his spear at the ready just in case. "Grampy Bone says we and I will yet need it," he had said.

Needless to say, everyone, Tala included, was relatively sceptical.

Near the church, Lara ordered everyone to stop with a wave of her hand and snuck closer to take a look at the front of the church, currently out of their view. Tala took the moment to sit down and lit a cigarette again, this time conciously in an effort to calm herself. She had seen combat, yes. Fought against hordes of rats and several scorpions. She had also fought humans and killed humans. But this was to be her first real combat against a group of intelligent enemies with guns, so she reasoned that some nervousness was justified. The tobacco made her also somewhat lightheaded, but she knew from experience that the effects would be far more temporary than alcohol, to speak nothing of her own weedwater.

"Got an extra?" Aidan asked, crouching next to the brunette and nodding towards the pack.

"Sure," Tala said, offering one. She almost followed through with another flirt, but couldn't think of anything good in such situation.

"You don't have much experience with gunfights, have you?" Aidan asked quietly.

"Uhh, well... No. No I don't. You?"

Aidan shook her head, lighting her cigarette. "Heck, mostly been just brawls... A lot of the gangs here don't even have guns, or only have one or two. And most conflicts are just that - brawls. Once somebody pulls a gun, it means that things are getting too serious and it's time to calm down."

"So fights as serious as this one are not an everyday occurrence?"

"There'd be hardly anyone left here if they were," Aidan said dryly, then shook her head. "No, this one is serious... A blood feud plus power struggle."

"Care to elaborate?" Tala asked, watching the redhead in the dim light of the cigarette stub.

"Well, as you've probably noticed, Metzger is the head ganger of Den and there's no one here to challenge him. So, technically, we kill for the second best. Currently, Tyler's gang has been standing in Metzger's shadow for a while already, but now, by the looks of it, things are about to change. Thanks to you, by the way."

"And the blood feud?"

"Tyler killed Jonny, Lara's older brother. Both her and I were close to him... So it's also personal. Tyler will die tonight, no matter what."

Tala nodded silently and no more was said for a while. The cigarettes burned out and Lara returned soon after. "Well," she spoke quietly. "Tyler doesn't seem to be around, but his god damn right-hand man is there and seems sober," she said, casting a look at Tala. "However, I didn't hear anything from the inside, so they're either with Tyler or asleep. Either way, the assault on the church should be easier."

The church was quiet. The big, black guard was slowly pacing back and forth before the doors, looking around boredly and occasionally dragging the spikes of his iron knuckles against each other, producing a series of clicking sounds. Nobody else seemed around.

As the sound of a gunshot pierced the thick silence of the night, several things happened at once. Metzger's guards that were on duty jumped to attention, reaching for their guns, while the head of the Slaver Guild himself jerked to awake, groggily grabbing for his shotgun. Various gangers that were not drunk snapped to attention. Mom looked up from her work and told the customers to stay away from the windows. Frankie ducked behind his counter, just in case, as a drunken gang member fell off the bed and off the prostitute at the back of Frankie's establishment, The Hole. But first and foremost, the guard in front of the church fell against the church wall from the impact of the bullet, even though the shot failed to penetrate his armour.

The guard didn't seem particularly surprised, though, but rather seemed to have expected it as he stood straight again and prepared to charge. "Welcome, Lara. Coming to join your worthless brother, finally?" he asked as the doors of the church were blown open, revealing a fully sober Tyler and his gang. 


End file.
